EUGENE -- Trent Paddon knew it was over. Pulled an inning earlier, Paddon sat in the Oregon dugout and watched as his first career win slipped further away with each step Michael Monda took toward home. The game would be tied, his win erased and Oregon's chance at a sweep over Washington State in doubt.

Then Austin Grebeck decided to bail Paddon and the Ducks out.

The Oregon (31-10, 10-5 Pac 12) center fielder took an eighth inning single and fired a strike to second, picking off an over-rounding Nick Tanielu to end the inning before Monda could score from second. The play secured No. 23 Oregon's 2-1 win Saturday at PK Park in front of 1,564 fans.

It was Grebeck's second stellar defensive play in as many games and came at the benefit of Paddon, who was making his second career start.

"I saw Austin wasn't going to go for him at home and I was like, "Ah, well, there goes that,'" Paddon said. "But the quick tag and the out, I looked over at the umpire and he was having none of it. That was awesome."

Grebeck figured there was no way he could get the out at home, but saw Tanieul, who was intentionally walked, take a generous turn at second. With Mark Karaviotis covering the bag, Grebeck said he knew the obvious choice.

“It wasn’t the hardest hit ball so I knew it would have had to be a perfect throw to home,” Grebeck said. “I saw the guy rounding pretty hard. That was the best chance I had of at least ending the inning and if I got it there in time I had the guy at home hopefully.”

Grebeck played hero on Friday, too, ripping a bases loaded double and leading the charge on a defensive relay that nailed a runner at the plate in Oregon's 6-3 win. Grebeck didn't start on Saturday, but he was inserted into the outfield in the seventh inning in a move that's becoming common place for George Horton's defense. The Ducks have routinely made defensive substitutions late in games, and the 19-year-old Grebeck has quickly earned the confidence of his head coach.

"We thought (that) when we recruited him," Horton said.

It wasn't just Grebeck that helped Paddon into the win column. Tyler Baumgartner threw out a runner at home from right field to end the fourth inning. In the sixth, Washington State (17-19, 7-8) took a 1-0 lead off the Ducks, but an A.J. Balta RBI double and Baumgartner RBI single took the lead right back in the bottom of the inning.

Filling in for the injured Matt Krook, Paddon allowed five hits, one run, walked one and struck out six a week after allowing three runs in four innings against UC Riverside.

Krook will likely miss the upcoming weekend -- Horton said the team will find out the results of a second opinion on the pitcher's throwing arm on Monday -- meaning Paddon is likely the front-runner to start next Sunday against Oregon State.

"He was better than the last start, which is what I expected," Horton said. "…I thought it was a nice reward for a good effort -- a solid effort -- that he was the winning pitcher today."

The Ducks will likely need more help from the rest of the team as they head into a Civil War matchup against the fifth-ranked Beavers. Oregon was outhit six to four on Saturday, yet the Ducks found a way to win, just as they have throughout their current nine-game winning streak.